The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Sports Reporter
MUTARE City Council is working round the clock to renovate Sakubva Stadium, Post Sport has established.
It is hoped that the minimum acceptable standards would have been achieved by end of this week.
Expectations are high among football fans in Manicaland that top-flight league football will be played at Sakubva Stadium this year, exactly three years after the Mutare football home last hosted a Castle Lager Premiership match.
The construction of the precast wall has been completed while refurbishment works have now moved to interior facilities such as changing rooms, the perimeter fence and the media box.
Mutare City Council spokesperson Spren Mutiwi said: “By Monday night, we were at 50 percent on the superstructure (changing rooms). Completion of that work is expected this week. The perimeter fence contractor is on site and we are also working on the gates at the same time.
“Works on the tunnel is also 50 percent complete. We have put our hands on the rail to ensure that we complete most of the outstanding issues this week.
“We have increased manpower and artisans to speed up the project. We have also extended the working hours so that we increase the pace. So work is now being carried out day and night. We are confident that this year, Sakubva will get the necessary approval and Manicaland will have a chance to watch the top-flight league teams in the provincial capital city.”
The Mutare City Council spokesperson appealed to well-wishers to come on board in sprucing up the facility.
“While we are in overdrive in terms of construction, we still call upon sport personalities and corporates to come on board.
“Work on the field is progressing on well and it is a hive of activity at Sakubva stadium,” he said.
When contacted for comment, Zifa grounds inspection arm First Instance Body (FIB) chairman, Piraishe Mabhena said they put the local authority’s efforts under consideration.
“At the end of the day, football has to be the winner.
We all want to spread the game across the whole county. It is in that spirit that I think we might be forced to consider the efforts being made by the local authority there in renovating the match venue.
“We really cannot pretend like we do not know the environment we are all operating in,” he said.
While Mutare City Council’s efforts in sprucing up Sakubva Stadium have been impressive, they might still fail to meet the strict minimum standards.
